The present invention relates to wearable healthcare sensors, and more specifically, to manufacture of flexible electronics for wearable health care sensors.
Health care sensors can present challenges in manufacture. For example, healthcare sensors or biosensors, in many applications, are to be applied to nonplanar or curvilinear surfaces, such as the surface of a finger or arm. One approach for manufacturing sensors capable of conforming to such surfaces involves the investigation of new materials, such as nanowires, carbon nanotubes, or nanocomposites. However, the complexity, reliability, and performance of such materials can be relatively poor compared to the performance of conventional solid-state electronics on a bulk substrate. The use of conventional semiconductor materials, such as silicon, offers potentially better performance and reliability in healthcare applications. However the use of conventional materials can pose challenges in manufacture when attempting to achieve a thickness that can sufficiently withstand the mechanical deformation needed to conform the semiconductor materials to nonplanar surfaces.